I grew up in a broken home – although “broken” couldn’t be a worse way of describing it.
See, my parents split-up before my brain had the capabilities of memory. The way I see it, it’s better that way; I didn’t have to endure the pain of divorce like many older children do.
After they separated, my mom was given full custody of me, which meant that I got to see my dad every other weekend. Do the math and that only adds up to about 75 days out of every year. I see teachers I can’t stand more often than I see my own father.
While living with my mom, we moved more than a military family. We went from the apartment I lived in as a baby, to a house in South City, to my grandma and grandpa’s house in St. Peters, to a middle-of-nowhere house in Wentzville, back to my grandparents’ house, then to an apartment down the road, and, finally, to the house I currently live in. To some, seven homes in 18 years would be difficult to face, but it’s made me more susceptible to change; I can handle things coming and going. Change doesn’t phase me.
When I was seven, my dad married my step-mom – a woman who I don’t remember living a day without. When I stayed with my dad on the weekends, he would often not be there due to the long hours he worked, which meant that my step-mom was there to help raise me. Like I said, I don’t remember a day when she wasn’t in my life. She was my second mother, always there for me.
However, my dad and step-mom split-up when I was in sixth grade, and this time around, I did feel the effects of change. This was one of the few times in my life that I cried. I couldn’t believe it.
Although I was upset, my mood was soon lifted.
A year later, my mom married the man she’s married to today. Since the majority of my life was spent with only my mom and I, I didn’t learn a whole lot about being a man. However, I now have a step-dad who has taught me about everything from why the referee should be fired, to how to make the steak just a little bit juicier.
Another year later, my brother Sam was born. Although he’s a brat more than half of the time he’s around, he’s my brother. I love him. He has bestowed a sense of responsibility on me.
Although I’ve endured change in what seems like every year of my life, it’s shaped me. I am what I am today because of the changes that happened in my past.